LITTLE ROCK — The will of Arkansas’ voters was officially made known Monday when the state’s six members of the electoral college cast ballots for the Republican slate for president and vice president, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.
In a ceremony in the old Supreme Court chambers at the state Capitol, the six electors voted on a voice vote and cast paper ballots for Romney, who won the state handily, receiving about 61 percent of the vote.
Similar ceremonies took place in state capitals across the nation, plus in Washington, D.C.
If all the electors honor the wishes of the people who elected them, President Barack Obama will receive 332 electoral votes to 206 for Romney. Monday’s ceremony was another step in the process of making it official.
Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin is responsible for sending the state’s voting certification to the U.S. Senate. On Jan. 6, the president of the senate, Vice President Joe Biden, will oversee the official count of the nation’s 538 electoral votes during a joint session of the U.S. House and Senate.
Obama’s inauguration is scheduled for January 20.
“It’s an honor to cast our vote on behalf of hardworking conservative Arkansans,” said Doyle Webb, chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas and one of the electors. “It’s a heavy responsibility,” he said.
Arkansas State Rep. Jonathan Barnett, R-Siloam Springs, was selected chairman of the state’s electors during Monday’s ceremony.
Another elector, Robin Lundstrum of Elm Springs, called the electoral college “pretty darned important.”
Lundstrum, who has worked as a Republican campaign volunteer and party officer for years, said being an elector allowed her to participate in the democratic process “full circle.”
“I obviously think Mitt Romney would have been a better president than Barack Obama,” she said. “But you win and you lose. The process worked.”
Joining Lundstrum was her daughter, Gracie, a sophomore at Ouachita Baptist University.
Gracie, who cast her first ballot in November when she voted for Romney, was a toddler when she accompanied her mother going door to door in George W. Bush’s successful 2000 campaign.
“She’s been behind the scenes for so long,” Gracie said about her mom. “I was proud to watch her voice being heard.”
The other Arkansas electors were Larry Bailey of Hot Springs, Reta Hamilton of Bella Vista and Benny Speaks of Mountain Home.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 12/18/2012